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Chapter 132: The Fear Deep Within
Chapter 132: The Fear Deep Within
Silke's hand touched the wooden door.
Something seemed to happen, yet nothing seemed to happen.
She stood motionless in front of the door.
Sherlock released the two Wands from his hand, which floated quietly around Silke, illuminating the area around her.
She remained in this position for a long time, as if ten minutes had passed, and her body began to tremble imperceptibly.
She lowered her hand.
"I didn't find him."
Her voice was low and filled with sorrow.
Sherlock clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on Silke. If anything went wrong, he would Apparate them both away from here.
"I didn't find him, I didn't find him, I didn't find him."
She said mournfully.
Silke crouched on the ground, hugging her head as if trying to escape something, or perhaps questioning herself.
"I didn't find him!"
Her voice suddenly became shrill.
"I tried so many methods! Tea leaves! Crystal ball! Astrology! Arithmancy! But his threads are nowhere to be found in the web of fate! I can't find him!"
She tugged at her hat, pulling it off her head to reveal the black ribbon covering her eye and her silver-gray hair.
Silke's delicate face was deathly pale. She huddled in the corner, her body trembling uncontrollably, like a discarded, homeless girl.
"I didn't find him, Dad. I'm useless. I didn't fulfill my promise to you. I'm useless. I don't have the ability. I should have died with you!"
At that moment, Sherlock realized she wasn't much older than him, perhaps only a few years.
Tears slid from her eye, hidden by the ribbon, and fell down her bloodless cheeks.
Silke knelt on the ground, supporting herself with her hands. Her pale, almost transparent hands clearly showed the blue veins beneath the skin.
"He's gone. You said he's still here, Dad, but I can't find him. It's because I didn't try hard enough, because I didn't do enough!"
She suddenly wanted to smash her head against the ground to punish herself, but Sherlock stopped her just in time, preventing her self-harm.
Silke struggled, her slender frame surprisingly strong, almost breaking free from Sherlock's grip.
"I tried! I really tried every method! But there's nothing! I can't see anything! I can't see where he is!"
She seemed to be defending herself, or perhaps confessing her despair, but her face was filled with fear.
"I'm afraid to say it, Dad. I'm afraid to say the possibility."
She sobbed, no longer struggling, but her body trembled violently. Sherlock held her tightly, feeling nothing but pity for the pale face.
Silke clearly had something hidden deep inside. The cold and indifferent demeanor she displayed was just a facade to hide her vulnerability.
She bit her lip, as if trying to avoid something, unwilling to say or predict anything.
But in the end, she moved her bloodied lips and sobbed.
"He might really be dead."
Saying this seemed to drain all her strength. She collapsed in Sherlock's arms, no longer trembling or resisting, as if she had fallen asleep.
The two Wands continued to float quietly in the darkness, illuminating the small space.
Sherlock sat on the ground, his back against the stone wall, silently staring at the dark, hidden passage, lost in thought.
Silke's breathing gradually became steady. She lay in his arms, quiet like a delicate doll.
After a long while, her fingers twitched slightly, and her head lifted from Sherlock's chest, as if she had been dazed for a second.
Then she stood up as if nothing had happened.
Sherlock, seeing her emerge from the nightmare of fear, coughed lightly and stood up, dusting off the dust from his Robe.
"Are you okay now?"
Silke pulled the large hood back over her head, hiding her face.
"What did you see?"
Her voice returned to its usual coldness, though it sounded a bit hoarse.
Sherlock shrugged.
"What did I see? Just you touching the door, then suddenly collapsing on the ground. I couldn't lift you up no matter what. I was afraid you'd catch a cold lying there, so I just acted as a cushion."
Such a lie was obviously fake, but sometimes a necessary, mutually understood lie was better than the truth, which would make everyone uncomfortable.
He changed the subject, walking to the wooden door that seemed unchanged.
"So, can we go in now?"
Silke retrieved her Wand. She didn't answer Sherlock's question but walked to the door and pushed it open with force.
"Creak."
A long, rusty hinge screeched.
The wooden door opened, and dust rose, as if no one had been inside for a long time.
Silke was about to step in, but Sherlock pulled her back.
He released the Wand he had been holding, letting it float and fly into the room behind the door.
The tip of the wand glowed with a fluorescent light, illuminating the empty space inside. It seemed as though there was nothing there at all.
"Let's go in. We can take a look around", Sherlock said.
Silke wasn't particularly surprised by Sherlock's ability to control the wand. The skill to make a wand levitate was something every wizard could do.
They entered the room behind the wooden cabin.
Even after they stepped inside, the lumos charm could only illuminate an area of less than half a meter.
So, even after entering, they couldn't see the full layout or size of the room. They had to rely on the glowing wand to gradually explore the space.
Sherlock and the others didn't notice that behind the door, a creature hidden in the darkness was silently watching them.
They didn't split up upon entering; instead, they stayed together, carefully exploring the pitch-black space.
The room seemed completely empty, with nothing inside, but it was quite spacious. Sherlock and Silke walked about twenty steps to reach the end.
They remained silent, walking along the edge of the walls to circle the entire room.
Just as they turned a corner and shone the light near the wooden door, they saw the creature that had been silently watching them from the darkness!
It was a massive scarecrow standing in a cruciform shape.
Wilted straw filled the gaps between the tattered fabric and wooden poles. As Sherlock and the others looked at it, two crimson lights flickered in the face wrapped in ragged strips.
Its arms, made of branches, were held outstretched. One hand clutched a rusted scythe, and the other held a dilapidated oil lamp.
The moment Silke saw it, she didn't hesitate to wave her wand!
"Expecto Patronum!"
However, before she could finish the spell, a hoarse, shrill, desperate, and lifeless scream suddenly echoed.
"What's happening! What's going on!"
The scream came from the scarecrow, and the broken oil lamp in its left hand suddenly lit up!
But the orange-yellow flame brought no warmth, only endless cold and fear!
Silke's spell was interrupted by the scream, and it swung the scythe and the oil lamp, charging at them!
Sherlock grabbed Silke's arm and pulled her to the side, simultaneously waving his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
As he uttered the incantation, it let out another shrill wail.
"No! No! I'm so scared! I'm so scared!"
But Sherlock wasn't deterred. He successfully cast the Patronus Charm!
A silver light radiated from the tip of his wand, but the brilliant silver strands were scattered, struggling to coalesce into a solid form, eventually dissipating into a silver glow!
The atmosphere here was too oppressive. The darkness not only eroded the light but also consumed the hope and joy in their hearts, making the Patronus Charm ten times harder to cast than usual!
Sherlock pulled Silke out of the way of the first scythe swing. The unformed Patronus Charm, with its scattered silver strands, made it retreat slightly, but it still aimed at them, raising its scythe high!
Without hesitation, Sherlock pointed his wand at it.
"Thunder Blast!"
A deafening explosion echoed through the Chamber of Secrets, and a blinding flash of light erupted, only to be swallowed by the infinite darkness once more!
Despite taking a full blast from the Explosive Charm, it remained unharmed, only slightly pushed back, with a few strands of straw falling to the ground.
"Is it just the Patronus Charm that works? Do other spells have no effect?" Sherlock asked urgently.
"None! It only hates happiness and hope!"
Silke swung her wand and tried the Patronus Charm again.
"Expecto Patronum!"
This time, she successfully recited the incantation, and silver strands emerged from the darkness, trying to form in the air.
Though it took a long time to shape, it was clear that her Patronus Charm had a chance of success!
Sherlock didn't stand idle. He pulled out all the wands he had prepared from his pouch, and in the unseen darkness, hundreds of wands floated silently toward them.
It clearly noticed Silke's actions and didn't charge forward. Instead, it stared at her with its crimson eyes, wailing in a hoarse, eerie voice.
"I can't find him! Dad! I can't find him!"
Silke shuddered, and the silver strands that were forming instantly dissipated, vanishing into the darkness!
(End of Chapter)
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